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In the 80s, Thatcherism tore the heart out of British manufacturing, with long-term social consequences. We cannot let the same thing happen now to English farming, says Labour Shadow Defra Minister Daniel Zeichner.

With BPS on the way out, and Defra not yet ready to offer support which fills the gap, farmers must take steps now to survive the Brexit transition, says Dr Julia Aglionby, executive director at the FCL and chairwoman of the Uplands Alliance.

With direct payments on their way out, farmers should consider rewilding on marginal land to boost the income they make from food production, says Dr Stephanie Wray, director of RSK Wilding.

Defra Secretary George Eustice has been accused of ‘missing the point’ on slaughterhouse investment, after he suggested no local abattoir network policy was needed to accommodate Government plans for shorter livestock journey

Welsh farming unions have accused the chancellor of a ‘Brexit betrayal’ after he announced a decision to slash Wales’ agricultural budget in last week’s spending review.

Farmers and land managers will have greater freedom and more choice in the future thanks to the Government’s new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme, says High Peak Conservative MP Robert Largan.

The UK Government’s decision to cut agricultural funding in the devolved nations will have far-reaching consequences for every farm in Wales, says Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd.

If Defra’s latest document is anything to go by, the path of agricultural transition will be beset by instances in which bureaucratic ideology butts up against the realities of farming and food production.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has paid £1.67 billion of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) money to more than 95 per cent of farmers in the first day of the payment window.

We understand farmers are anxious about the changes outlined by Defra in its agricultural transition plan this week, but that change will offer real opportunities for the sector, says Farming Minister Victoria Prentis.